Cline Church Nursery Helps Deliver Trees to Troops

Cline Church Nursery of Fleetwood will be the pick up location for 1,000 real Christmas Trees as part of the

nationwide Trees for Troops program, sponsored by the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx Corp.

On Friday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m., real Christmas trees will be picked up at Cline Church Nursery, located at 10787 Hwy. 221 South in Fleetwood. The trees picked up at the Nursery are scheduled to be taken to Fort Benning, Ga.

This holiday season, Trees for Troops is expected to collect and deliver more than 16,000 Real Christmas Trees from 29 states to military families across the United States, as well as to soldiers serving overseas. Consumers will also have the opportunity to purchase trees to donate to the program at various FedEx trailer drop locations across the nation.

"Our military and their families have been providing a real service to our country," says Mark Steelhammer, president of the National Christmas Tree Association and a Christmas Tree farmer from Rochester, Wash. "And, as Christmas Tree farmers, we want them to be able to experience a traditional Christmas with a Real Tree."

The Trees for Troops program was launched in 2005, and with the help of FedEx Corp., delivered more than 4,300 Christmas Trees to five U.S. military bases, as well as an overseas shipment to the Middle East that year. Since 2005 the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx have delivered over 34,000 Real Trees to military families at over 40 bases in 17 countries. Since 2005 FedEx has driven over 90,000 over-the-road miles to deliver trees to deserving military families.

"Trees for Troops has been a huge success and continues to grow," says Christmas SPIRIT Foundation chairman Nigel Manley, a Christmas Tree grower in Bethlehem, N.H. "It has really resonated with our industry and the military."

The collection and delivery of trees will take place from the end of November through December.

Consumers may make contributions to the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation at www.ChristmasSPIRITFoundation.org. More information is also available at www.TreesforTroops.org.

About Cline Church Nursery

Cline and Ellen Church are the owners of Cline Church Nursery. The business was began in 1977, some 27 years ago. According to their website, they started out doing all the work themselves. They now have approximately 500 acres of trees in various stages of growth. They employ 15 full time people and add on seasonal help when necessary.

The Churches have two children: Amber, 19, a student at Appalachian State University, and Alex, 17, a student at Ashe County High School. Cline started planting Fraser Fir when he was in high school on his father's farm. They were traditionally cattle and some row crop farmers. This turned out to be the basis for the business. The business has grown gradually over the years and they now have approximately 500 acres of trees in various stages of growth.

Cline Church Nursery sells the balled and burlapped in the Spring (March, April and May) and in the Fall (September and October) and Christmas trees at Christmas (November and December). They sell wholesale Christmas trees to nurseries, landscapers and garden centers in the Northeast and Midwest. The Christmas trees are wholesale to a lot of their nursery customers, as well as some who only sell Christmas trees, (farmers markets, corner lots, produce vendors, chain stores). They also have several Christmas tree and wreath customers who include organizations that sell Christmas trees for fundraising (boy scout troops, churches, clubs, etc.).

For more information about the Nursery, click to www.clinechurchnursery.com or call (336) 877-4237.

About the Christmas Spirit Foundation

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation - based in Chesterfield, Mo, is a not-for-profit foundation that advances the Christmas spirit for children, families and the environment. Trees for Troops is just one of its projects. For more details, go to www.ChristmasSpiritFoundation.org.

About the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA)

NCTA is the professional organization representing nearly 5,000 farms and retailers engaged in growing and selling Real Christmas Trees to nearly 30 million consumers. Based in Chesterfield, Mo., NCTA's mission is to promote the use of Real Christmas Trees and support the industry that provides them. For more information, go to www.realchristmastrees.org.